3 Solutions When Roofing Nails Are Poking Through Your Soffits!

3 Solutions When Roofing Nails Are Poking Through Your Soffits!

Nobody wants to have their roof replaced, look up at the eaves above your front porch and see roofing nails poking through! It’s ugly!

Believe it or not, those nails are most likely standard size according to state code and shingle manufacturers. For example, CertainTeed’s manual states that roofing nails need to protrude the roof deck by 3/4″. If your decking is 1/2″ thick you can then expect a 1/4″ nail exposure underneath. This ensures that the product will withstand a certain amount of weather wear, and help prolong the lifespan of the shingles.

With that being said, you have a few choices to hide those ugly nails.

Thicker Sheeting- Have a thicker plywood installed. A 3/4″ plywood decking would basically bring the nails flush with the sheeting.

Shorter Nails- Shorter nails can be used to ensure that they do not poke through the decking. A thorough contractor should recognize a head of time that the longer nails would show through. However, that isn’t always the case. If you are worried about the nails discuss this with your contractor ahead of time.

Enclose your Soffits- Soffits can always be enclosed. You can DIY it yourself with this aluminum product. It allows for venting and is easy to maintain. You can also choose to have someone come and enclose your soffits with wood. Wooden soffits definitely look better, but need to be maintained regularly with paint and checked for rot.

Hopefully, these answers help! If you’ve already had your roof replaced and see the horrifying nails poking through, contact your roofing contractor to come up with a solution! We all want our customers to be satisfied.